Columns

Cheers for Fears: 10 Book and Cocktail Pairings to Celebrate the New Year

December 27th, 2021

I decided to pair some of my favorite 2021 reads with a cocktail recipe for the New Year. I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t matter when a book was released (they’re never too old to be enjoyed), so some of my favorite books this year are previously released titles.

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Conservative vs. Liberal Book Bans

December 23rd, 2021

Because everything is so great right now, I figured why not talk about an issue we can all disagree on: book bans. Especially: the different, mutually disgusting flavors of conservative and liberal book bans. Let’s look at both and uncover how they’re different and how they’re alike. Spoiler: they’re alike because they’re both stupid. What Is A Book Ban? A book ban is any action you take with the intented or unintended effect of creating a barrier between the book and its reader.

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Can’t We Just Get Some Peace?

December 22nd, 2021

Can't we just get some peace? And look, there is a lot more than this sentiment going on in the superlative short story collections Deadheading by Beth Gilstrap, The Cult in My Garage by Duncan Birmingham and JERKS by Sara Lippmann, but I keep coming back to it anyway.

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LitReactor Staff Picks: The Best Books of 2021 - Part III

December 20th, 2021

Original image via Rodnae Productions Another year has come and gone. You know what that means, don't you? Time for a bunch of strangers to tell you what was good! And why should you care what the LitReactor staff thinks are the best books of the year? Trick question! You shouldn't. But what they have to say might interest you nonetheless, because they are good-looking and knowledgeable and they read like the wind.

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Writing Lessons Learned from 80s Horror Movies

December 17th, 2021

Header image via In October, I did a month of movie watch parties, watching a different horror every day live on Twitch. The movies ranged from releases from the 1930s through movies that came out this year. The quality varied widely. Sometimes the poorer quality movies were the most fun to watch with viewers as we shared our suffering together in the chat.

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Make eBooks Into Decent Gifts

December 16th, 2021

eBooks weigh nothing, they don’t get stuck on cargo ships, and they allow people to read hardcore erotica without anyone nearby being the wiser. I guess that last one could’ve just been “they’re discreet,” which would have been a discreet way of saying it. But I’m not known for my discretion.

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6 Romantic Books to Cozy Up With This Holiday

December 15th, 2021

Header image via Vincenzo Malagoli We’re smack in the middle of winter holiday season — Thanksgiving food comas have come and gone, Hanukkah candles were lit, and Christmas and New Year’s are fast approaching.

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LitReactor Staff Picks: The Best Books of 2021 - Part II

December 14th, 2021

Original image via Rodnae Productions Another year has come and gone. You know what that means, don't you? Time for a bunch of strangers to tell you what was good! And why should you care what the LitReactor staff thinks are the best books of the year? Trick question! You shouldn't. But what they have to say might interest you nonetheless, because they are good-looking and knowledgeable and they read like the wind.

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10 Indie Holiday Horror Reads

December 13th, 2021

You better watch out You better not cry Better not pout I'm telling you why...

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Small Press Xmas Lit Tour

December 10th, 2021

My mom had this artsy friend who did the best holidays. On Easter, she’d host these massive egg hunts at her house. The eggs were always gorgeous, marbled with layers of waves of color. Usually by the end of the night, she’d be too drunk to remember where she’d stashed all the eggs, her handwritten map disappeared, and dozens of colorful eggs would stay outside until they rotted enough that she could sniff them out.

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